1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of entertainment and especially to board games.
2. Prior Art
The prior art has many board games, including chess, checkers, chinese checkers and many more. Tic tac toe is an old game that can be played by two players and is played on a single board which is divided into a matrix with 3 rows and 3 columns. The players take alternate turns placing their pieces in an empty row/column location on the board and the goal for each player is to arrange 3 pieces in a line in any direction, which could be diagonal or along any row or column. Of course, each player also can play defensively to prevent the other player from achieving his goal. If all the rows/columns have been filled, then no one wins the game and the game is called a "cats game". Tic tac toe is a fairly simple game and normally with two experienced players almost all the games turn into cats games. An inexperienced player can quickly learn tic tac toe and eventually the game becomes boring, because all of the games are cats games; however, tic tac toe remains a favorite game to teach children, because it is easy and quick to play.
A game, similar in some respects to tic tac toe, is quite old and has been recently marketed as "Connect Four" by Milton Bradley Company of Springfield, Mass. In Connect Four, which is also called a vertical checkers game, there are 7 vertical columns that can each hold 6 pieces. The players take turns dropping a piece into one of the seven columns. The first player to connect four of his pieces in a line, whether diagonal, along a horizontal row or a vertical column, wins.
Another game called "Twist Tac Toe" is marketed by Alsip and Company of Bainbridge Island, Wash. and is similar in some respects to tic tac toe. Twist Tac Toe is played with three side by side rotatable spindles that each have three exposed slots within which to put the pieces and additional unexposed slots, that are exposed when a spindle is rotated. The players take turns placing pieces in an exposed slot and choosing whether to turn a spindle. A player wins when 3 exposed slots in a line are filled with his pieces. This game is rather complicated, because it requires the players to remember where his and the other players pieces are located since all of the pieces in the game are not seen at once. Another disadvantage of this game is that the apparatus required to play the game is relatively expensive.
What is needed is a game that can be enjoyed by all who understand the fundamental tic tac toe game, but is more complex so that interest in the game can be sustained. It is also necessary that the game be economical, both in cost and in the time required to learn or to play the game to enable even the hurried in today's world the time to pause for refreshment and enjoy the game. The game should also have an attractive appearance so that it can be left out for spontaneous use, while fulfilling a decorative function. There should also be a factor of chance in the game to increase its appeal. The prior art, as described above, does not incorporate any chance, but only relies on the skill of the players.